“The big score is around the corner” – Rohit Sharma made a big claim after India thrashed New Zealand in the 2nd ODI and he did exactly what he promised. Indian captain made a stunning comeback by ending a century drought as he slammed his first hundred in 509 days, in the third and final ODI match of the series against New Zealand at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Tuesday. His knock helped him equal the legendary Australia captain Ricky Ponting‘s record.
For the unversed, the last time Rohit smashed a century in international cricket was in September 2021 in the Oval Test against England. Ever since then, he has played 53 innings across formats, scoring 1555 runs with 12 half-centuries, however, he couldn’t reach the triple-figure mark. The closest he came to the century mark was a fortnight back in the Guwahati ODI match against Sri Lanka.
Talking about his knock, he walked out to open the innings with Shubman Gill and both the batters showed no mercy to the Kiwi’s bowlers on a flat pitch as they smashed the bowlers to all the corners of the ground. Rohit played a stunning knock of 101 runs off 85 balls, smashing 9 fours and 6 sixes.
This was also Rohit’s second-fastest century in his ODI career, falling short of winning his record by only a delivery. He had registered this feat in the Nottingham tie against England in 2018. This was Rohit’s 30th century in his career and with this, he has equaled the record of Ponting for joint third-most centuries in ODIs. The two now only stand behind Sachin Tendulkar (49) and Virat Kohli (46).
Meanwhile, fans went berserk on social media as soon as Rohit reached the triple figure. From cricketers to fans and experts, everyone took to their social media and hailed the performance of the Indian captain as he made a stunning comeback.
Check out some of the best reactions:
